Integrated circuits are commonly mounted on a substrate or the like which are referred to as chip carriers. Conductors on the chip carrier are connected to the integrated circuit and extend to the edges of the carrier. Sheet metal leads are connected to these conductors on the carrier and extend outwardly from the edges of the substrate. When the integrated circuit is placed in service, these leads in turn are soldered to terminal areas on a circuit board.
A problem with this type of chip carriers is that the physical handling of the chip carrier must be done with extreme care so as not to damage any of the fragile components of the chip carrier. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 784,917 filed Oct. 4, 1985 discloses a protective fixture for use with a chip carrier, the fixture protects the chip carrier from physical damage during transportation of the chip carrier.
A second, equally important problem with the chip carriers relates to their lack of protection to static electricity. A rapid discharge of static electricity in the vicinity of the integrated circuit damages the integrated circuit. It is therefore beneficial to provide some type of protection which eliminates this problem and ensures that the chip will remain unharmed during transportation thereof. The prior art teaches various methods for controlling this discharge of static electricity; however, many inherent problems are present in these solutions. These inherent problems include: (1) non-uniform conductivity of the materials used, creating pockets of inadequate static protection; (2) inadequate static protection of materials used, i.e., the material conducts too well leading to rapid discharge; and (3) inadequate static protection because the design of the chip carrier requires the integrated circuit to be removed from the chip carrier which promotes excess handling of the integrated circuit. As of these problems have the same end result--damage to the integrated circuit.
An example of the prior art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,880. An integrated circuit carrier having uniform conductivity and the ability to securely hold an integrated circuit in a predetermined position within the carrier is disclosed. The enclosure is formed as one piece which additionally includes a hinge, a latching arrangement, structure which aids stacking, and structure which facilitates opening of the enclosure by automated means. The problem encountered with this type of chip carrier deals with the problem of handling the chip when tests are made. The integrated circuit must be physically removed from the enclosure, tested, and returned to the chip carrier for protection. In other words, the chip carrier provides no manner of testing of the integrated circuit while the integrated circuit is maintained in the chip carrier.
To properly protect the integrated circuit, it would be advantageous to provide a chip carrier fixture which protects the integrated circuit from physical damage as well as electrical damage while still permitting testing of the integrated circuit without requiring the integrated circuit to be removed from the fixture.